Real Talk

As Seen On

by Rachel Bowman

April 18, 2018•0 comments

On an early morning plane flight to Detroit, Michigan last Saturday on her way to a family event after a late night of performing, a busy week of training and house moving, Rachel started thinking about the challenges of time management.

As aerialists, instructors and/or dedicated aerial students with busy lives, day jobs and social commitments we know you struggle with finding the time for your aerial training (we read ALL of your emails and DM’s!).

Having goals is important of course and certainly helps with motivation to get to class or the studio to train but what about when life gets so busy that you barely have time to bathe and eat..?

“I am a dental hygienist as well as a pole and flexibility instructor. My day job undoes all of my backwards flexy progress and teaching pole and flexibility in the evenings means the rest of my flexibility is stagnant. I cannot train when I am training others!!! By the end of my day I’m so exhausted that I eat dinner while bathing so I can get to bed faster. ☹️ I just want to wear my feet like a hat again (they are currently miles away from my head) and be get my oversplits back!”
– Tristabel A (via email)

As we enter the 2nd quarter of the year there is a good chance that those glorious 2018 aerial resolutions have fallen by the way side and been replaced by the stresses of a demanding boss, family commitments or in some unfortunate cases (hopefully not yours), nagging injury. If you can relate, you are likely nodding your head right now.

Lets get real for a second.

While we want you to aim high and work hard and smart for those aerial goals (straight arm inverts, solid Meat-hooks, square splits, challenging drops, creating an act, booking consistent work YES, YES, YES, YES and YES!) because we believe you are capable of achieving them, we also want you to lead a happy, healthy and well balanced life!

Sometimes that might mean you don’t make it to aerial class because your best friend is going through a break up and needs you to share a pot of tea/bottle of wine and stories from happier times.

A healthy, balanced life might also mean taking time off of training to truly heal from an old aerial injury.

It could also mean focusing on your students aerial growth while you nurture and develop a new studio or class in order to build your business and create a sustainable financial future for yourself.

While achieving your aerial goals is a fulfilling and life affirming experience in its own right it is important to be patient with yourself in the time it may take for this to happen.

– Image by Alfonso Miranda

Keep your aerial goals alive. Revisit and tweak them regularly. If they are truly inspiring they wont be going anywhere, even if you need to get on a plane and fly to Milwaukee or Hong Kong, Manchester or Detroit.

If you have ever fallen from an apparatus (hopefully onto a safety mat!) while working on a new trick, drop or combination that is appropriate to your level of training, you know that the best thing you can do for yourself both mentally and physically (provided you are not injured) is to get back up and try again.

This will ensure that the trick does not ‘beat you.’ It is the same with your aerial goals:

If you are not where you hoped to be yet in 2018 because, well, LIFE happened, you still have time (8 months to be exact!)!

Shake it off, take a deep breath and get back up there!

You are strong, powerful, determined AND patient! It does not matter the speed of your progress only that you continue to make it.

Whether it’s finding the time to do 5 straight arm pull-ups on your home chin-up bar when you were hoping for 20 or getting to 1 aerial class a week when your goal was 5, celebrate the small wins!

Every big goal is made up of dozens and dozens of small wins and before you know it that seemingly insignificant progress will lead you to real, tangible results.

To you and your sustainable, beautiful, successful and high flying life!